Ismail Hakkı Berkok (; 1890 – 11 May 1954) was a Turkish general, publicist, historian and deputy of the

Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the Unicameralism, unicameral Turkey, Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by ...

of Circassian origin. He wrote a detailed work about Circassian history and was a Circassian nationalist.

Ancestry and early life

Father of Ismail – Ali Berkok was a

muhajir Muhajir or Mohajir (, '; pl. , ') is an Arabic word meaning ''migrant'' (see immigration and emigration) which is also used in other languages spoken by Muslims, including English. In English, this term and its derivatives may refer in a general s ...

from the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...

. He descended from an aristocratic family from Dzhereshti (Jereshty). Together with his brother Yusuf he moved to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

after the

Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...

following the

Russo-Circassian War The Russo-Circassian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Circassia, was the 101-year-long invasion of Circassia by the Russian Empire. The conflict started in 1763 ( O.S.) with Russia assuming authority in Circassia, followed by Circa ...

. After the relocation, they settled in the

Kayseri Province The Kayseri Province () is a province and metropolitan municipality in central Turkey. Its area is 16,970 km2, and its population is 1,441,523 (2022). It borders with Sivas, Adana, Niğde, Kahramanmaraş, Yozgat and Nevşehir provinces. T ...

in the Pinarbashi district and called it Jereshty. Ismail Hakkı Berkok was born there. He lost his parents early, but in spite of all the difficulties Ismail Berkok yet graduated from high school and enrolled in the

Ottoman Military College The Ottoman Military College or Imperial Military Staff College or Ottoman Army War College ( or ), was a two-year military staff college of the Ottoman Empire. It was located in İstanbul. Its mission was to educate staff officers for the Ott ...

, which he graduated from in 1910.

In the World War I and Turkish War of Independence

World War Ismail Berkok met in

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

on the Balkan front. Then he participated in operations and hostilities in the Caucasus and the Middle East fronts, particularly in Iraq. After the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, in the North Caucasus and

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...

intensified separatist forces to dream of a free and united Caucasus. In support of this statement the peoples of the Caucasus, after the signing of the 8 June 1918 friendship treaty between the Ottoman Empire and the

Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus (MRNC), also referred to as the United Republics of the North Caucasus, Mountain Republic, or the Republic of the Mountaineers, was a transcontinental state in Eurasia. It encompassed the entiret ...

, the Ottoman leadership was organized in May 1918 an expeditionary force numbering of 652 soldiers and officers, under the leadership of Ismail Berkok. This group was organized mainly of descendants of Muhajirs. The purpose of the order was the formation of the Islamic Army of the Caucasus mountaineers itself.Moshe Gammer. The Lone Wolf and the Bear: Three Centuries of Chechen Defiance of Russian Rule. — London, Hurst & Company,, 2006. — С. 127. — . Ismail Berkok stayed in the North Caucasus until 1920. In 1920 he returned from the North Caucasus, and takes an active part in the

Turkish War of Independence , strength1 = May 1919: 35,000November 1920: 86,000Turkish General Staff, ''Türk İstiklal Harbinde Batı Cephesi'', Edition II, Part 2, Ankara 1999, p. 225August 1922: 271,000Celâl Erikan, Rıdvan Akın: ''Kurtuluş Savaşı tarih ...

under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk).

In the Republican period

After the war of independence involved in various military missions of the republican government. He gets the title of brigadier general of the Turkish Republic. In 1936 he became chairman of the Council of Military History. Since the beginning of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

was appointed to the Mobilization Directorate in Ministry of National Defence. Since 1943, member of the Military Court of Cassation. Before retirement in 1946, member of the Supreme Military Court of the Turkish Republic.

The last years and death

In 1950 he was elected to the

Turkish Grand National Assembly The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...

of the Democratic Party from his native region of

Kayseri Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...

. Four years later, he was re-elected to Parliament, but, on 11 May 1954m after surgery in London, General Ismail Berkok died. He was buried with military honors in the Turkish capital

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

Medals and Orders

Liakat Medal The Liakat Medal () translated as "Medal of Merit," was a decoration of the Ottoman Empire established in 1890. It could be awarded in two classes, gold or silver. The medal was a common military decoration of the late Ottoman Empire, through the ...

(medal "For Merits" ) Imtiyaz Medal (medal "For Distinction" ) Medal of Independence ()

Order of Osmanieh The Order of Osmanieh (, Modern ) was a civil and military decoration of the Ottoman Empire. History The order was created in January 1862 by Sultan Abdülaziz. With the obsolescence of the Nişan-i Iftikhar, this became the second highest order ...

()

References

External links

GENERAL İSMAİL BERKOK (1890–1954)

The First World War and the independence of the Caucasus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkok, Ismail Hakki 1890 births 1954 deaths Turkish military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)